Into the Gloom
by Ryker Strom
Summary: After having ventured into The Gloom at the age of 11, Sebastian Smythe has been told that he may become the next Great One; but all Sebastian wants is Blaine Anderson and nothing more.


_**A/N:** This is a fic written for SeBlaine Week 2012 Day 4: Crossover. I know I already have "Apex Predator" but that one is a multi-chapter WIP so I thought I'd try to do a one-shot. What I did not expect was the fact that I ended up doing a Glee crossover with the Russian fantasy/horror tetralogy known as the "Watch Series" written by Sergei Lukyanenko and Vladimir Vasilyev . What I did was I used the premise of that world and dropped our characters into them, this is also inspired by some of the events in the novels. The Sebastian here is different from the Sebastian we know, he still has his cockiness and wits, but definitely a lot more innocent and carefree._

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><p>INTO THE GLOOM<p>

In this world, many things were not as they seemed. The stories, myths, and legends that one heard were not fabrications from the past. They existed in reality, underneath the surface of all things. There was a magical realm beyond what human eyes could see. Some called it the Gloom, others called it the Twilight. It did not matter which one it was called, what mattered was that it existed. It had been there before time existed.

Not many human beings were aware of the existence of the Gloom. Those who were and could tap into its abilities, were known as The Others. The Others were known by many names in different cultures: mages, vampires, healers, shape shifters; the list was endless.

However, not everyone could be An Other. The Others were born, not made. The Gloom did not offer its gifts freely; it fed off the strength of those who entered it. It was a dangerous and risky to do. For if one was sufficiently weakened, one would be forever trapped in the Gloom, unable to return to the human realm.

As was true with anything in life, there was the light side and the dark side. An Others could become either a Light Other or a Dark Other. The moment that the Others entered the Gloom for the first time, would determine whether one belonged to the Light or the Dark. It was upon this determination that the Others could choose his or her power.

Sebastian Smythe first entered the Gloom when he was eleven. Thinking back, he was not sure why he made the choices he made. If it were up to him now, choosing the Dark side would have been a lot more fun, as being a Dark Other meant that one was not restricted by obligations, morals or consequences. Nonetheless, his parents were pleased with his choice.

Becoming part of the Night Watch was a family tradition of the Smythes. Not all Others were required to become part of the Watch. The Watch resulted from a truce established many years ago. For many millennia, the battle had waged on between Light and Dark because of a division in their beliefs. The Light believed it was their duty to help the weak and the helpless. Those of the Dark shunned all obligations and did what they wanted.

With each side willing to do whatever it took to win, casualties were great. It was finally decided that a truce would be established where a "Watch" from both sides would be formed to ensure that the truce would be followed. The Light Others created the Night Watch, the Dark Others the Day Watch, to ensure that both sides adhered to the treaty. The Inquisition, a group composed of both Dark and Light Others, was created to arbitrate and enforce the rules when necessary.

Sebastian Smythe was thirteen when he joined the Night Watch. He was one of their youngest members, but he had great promise and potential. There were even predictions that Sebastian Smythe may become one of the Great Ones.

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><p>"Sebastian, I don't think that's how you ask someone out." Blaine raised his eyebrows. "If this is the first time I'm going to be anyone's boyfriend, it needs to be perfect."<p>

"Well then, how do you want me to ask you out?" Sebastian challenged.

"How about the traditional way?" Blaine suggested. "Like 'would you like to be my boyfriend?'"

"Why of course, Blaine." Sebastian smirked. "I'd love to be your boyfriend, and more."

"No! You're supposed to ask _me_!" Blaine looked frustrated. "Oh wait—Oh."

"Do you still want me to go through the formality?" Sebastian was clearly enjoying this. "Since you've asked me."

"Yes, Sebastian." Blaine took a sip from his coffee. "You need to ask me, properly. And no tricks."

"Fine, fine." Sebastian squared his shoulders. "Blaine Anderson, would you be my boyfriend?"

"Yes, Sebastian Smythe." Blaine smiled. "I will be your boyfriend."

"Finally! You and your old-fashioned values will be the death of me." Sebastian threw his empty coffee cup into a nearby trash can. "Now, how about a kiss? On the mouth."

"You're kidding, right? It's too soon." Blaine protested. "Besides, I like having values. Morals and rules are there for good reasons. They'd be no killing, stealing, war, and unwanted deaths if people follow them."

"I feel like I'm in Church." Sebastian grimaced. "Are you going to preach to me about the sins of committing sodomy next?"

"No." There was a slight blush on Blaine's face. "But I'm more than happy to preach about the sins of committing pre-marital sex if you want?"

"Ugh, spare me." Sebastian pushed his chair back and stood up. "Fine, you win. Shall we make a move?"

"To where?" Blaine stood up anyway and picked up his messenger bag.

"We can make out in the back of my car."

"Sebastian!"

It was always fun to get a rise out of Blaine Anderson. Today was definitely a good day. Sebastian Smythe had finally gotten himself a boyfriend.

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><p>It was never advisable for someone from the Night Watch to be attached to someone who was not one of The Others. The Dark Others were always looking for ways to find vulnerabilities. In spite of the truce, there were often Dark Others who would try to get away with breaking the rules. There were many things that were swept under the rug, but the smaller things were let go because at the end of the day, neither side was quite ready for a new war.<p>

Not yet, anyway.

If there was one rule that Sebastian did not care for, it would be the rule that advised him against associating himself with a non-Other.

"We Others will always be attracted to Others." His mother had told him. "Just be patient. You'll find the one, we have a tendency to be drawn to our own kind."

But Sebastian was fifteen now. He was old enough to know what he wanted and did not like to play by absurd rules. Sebastian Smythe wanted Blaine Anderson and nothing more. After all, the members of the Night Watch said Sebastian had great potential to become a Great One. If he became a Great One, then surely he could protect Blaine.

"Hey, mom." Sebastian greeted his mother as he walked into the living room. "I got your text. What's the assignment?"

"You may want to sit down first."

"Sounds serious." This should be fun. Sebastian hoped it would be something a bit more substantial this time. Perhaps they wanted him to hunt down a rogue Dark One? There were always these pesky vampires who liked to feed on people without permission. "What is it?"

"We found a new Other." Sebastian had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. It sounded like another babysitting assignment. "Now, don't give me that look. This is important. This person hasn't been to the Gloom, so this Other is completely neutral. It's entirely possible that this person doesn't even know."

"Yeah, I know. 'Every one of us counts.'" Sebastian sighed. "What do you need me to do? Babysit? Who is he? Or She?"

"That's why we need your help, Sebastian." Sebastian suddenly did not like where this was going. Did his mother just basically tell him they had no idea who they were looking for? "The Others don't come by often, especially in a place like Westerville. Chances are if we find any rogue vampire Dark Others, we should be able to find this person."

This was not a good sign. When the Others hadn't chosen a side, they became fresh pickings for everyone. If the Dark Others couldn't sway the neutral individual to their side, they might result to killing the neutral Other. In the cases of rogue Dark Others who happened to be vampires, they would not even care about swaying the Neutral Others either way, as drinking the blood of an Others would prolong their lives.

"Okay, I got it." Sebastian stood up and rummaged through his backpack, checking for his weapons. "I'll get the intel."

"Sebastian."

"Yeah, mom?"

"Please be careful."

"I'm always careful." Sebastian gave his mom a hug and headed toward the door. "I'll see you by dinner time."

There was only one place to go to get the latest intelligence on vampires in Ohio.

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><p>Hummel's Tire and Lube was still open at this hour. Sebastian pulled up at the entrance of the garage and waited for its owner. After a few minutes, a boy who was about Sebastian's age came out from inside.<p>

"You know you can just drive in." The boy looked annoyed as he ran his hand through his hair, his blue eyes showing clear disdain for his visitor.

"Oh, I don't know, Kurt." Sebastian leaned out the window. "May I come in? Oh, sorry, that's a bad vampire joke, isn't it?"

"Just drive on in." Kurt snapped. "You're not a vampire."

Sebastian parked his car in one of the empty spots and stepped out.

"I need to talk to Burt."

"That'd be Mr. Hummel to you, Smythe." Kurt corrected him. "Show some respect, Night Watcher."

"Sebastian Smythe." A voice called out from behind him. Sebastian turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a baseball cap.

"Mr. Hummel." Sebastian greeted back. "How are you?"

"We're surviving." Sebastian noticed the careful way that Burt was speaking around him. The Dark Others were always cautious around him, even though the Hummels had been one of the few who stayed true to the truce. "How may we help you tonight?"

"For starters, how about some drinks?"

"This is not a bar." Kurt cut in.

"No, I mean _your_ kind of drinks."

Kurt's eyes widened noticeably. "Why would you—"

"Kurt, just go get it." Burt interrupted. "We keep some spares in the bottom compartment of the fridge."

"Fine." Kurt gave Sebastian a glare before walking into the house.

"What do you need, Sebastian?" Burt took off his cap and run his hand over his head.

"You know what I'm here for." Sebastian could feel the edge of his weapons through his messenger bag. "I'm looking for some rogue vampires who are operating without licenses. Know where I can find them?"

Realization dawned on Burt's face.

"I'm not trying to convert the person." Sebastian explained. "I know the rules, but I also know that some of your kind won't follow them. This needs to be fair, and if I don't track down the rogues, I can't find who I'm looking for."

"You're telling me to betray my own."

"You're not betraying your own, you're doing them a favor." Sebastian pressed on. "If they end up killing this Other, then it's a violation of the truce. If that's the case, the Inquisition will probably end these rogues anyway."

Burt sighed and rubbed his hand over the bridge of his nose.

"I heard that there were some rogues hanging out around McKinley High. You may be able to find something there."

"Thanks, Mr. Hummel." Sebastian extended his hand. "Always a pleasure."

"Save it, Sebastian." Burt shook his head. "Under different circumstances, we probably could have been allies."

"Well frankly, I think you would've been better suited for our side."

"I call it momentarily lapse of judgment." There was sadness in the older man's eyes.

The door behind them opened as Kurt came out with a shot glass of red liquid in his hand.

"Here."

"Thank you, Kurt." Sebastian grinned.

"You're so welcome, Sebastian." Kurt smiled back a bit too sweetly. "Just don't choke on it."

Sebastian lifted the shot glass to his lips and downed the liquid in one gulp. He grimaced at the taste and tried not to throw up.

"I never thought you were into this stuff." Kurt was watching Sebastian carefully. "Why?"

"I'm not." Sebastian readjusted the strap on his messenger bag and headed to his car. "I'm gonna get going. Have a pleasant evening!"

Kurt watched on silently as Sebastian pulled out of the garage and drove away.

"Kurt."

"Yeah, dad?"

"You asked why Sebastian was drinking our blood earlier." Burt was eyeing the now empty shot glass.

"Yeah?"

"The Light Others only drink vampire blood when they're hunting our kind."

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><p>McKinley High School at night was unnaturally dark and eerie, in spite of the glow from the lamp posts. Sebastian never liked public schools. He pulled up in the parking lot and parked his car in an obscure spot. Drinking blood allowed Sebastian to track vampires <em>and<em> Others. Not only did it heighten his strength and senses, it also helped him connect with them.

Sebastian felt the cold, needle-pricking feeling that tended to send goosebumps up his arms. The rogues were near. He could even feel the blood lust shrouding the night air around him like a heavy cloak. What he was feeling was too strong to be just one rogue. There had to be at least two vampires around here tonight.

There was something else as well; a lighter but warm tingling sensation that seemed to radiate from somewhere deeper. Sebastian's heart sank at the realization that he had sensed the presence of the Other on school grounds. This meant the rogue vampires already had the Other. The Other was still alive, but this made things more complicated.

Ideally, Sebastian wanted to intercept the Other before the rogue vampires could get to him. But now it meant that he might have to take on two vampires at once. Rogue or not, vampires were tricky business. Sebastian spun around as he heard a scream. That voice sounded familiar.

_Blaine!_

Sebastian broke into a sprint toward the direction of the scream.

_Let me make it, please let me make it._

He reached the doors to what appeared to be the gymnasium. Sebastian tried the handles, they would not budge. He could feel the presence of the vampires and the Others—no, Blaine, on the other side. Sebastian took a step back, mustered all his strength and kicked the doors open.

Sebastian froze at the sight before him.

He was right about two vampires. One had a Mohawk, while the other was bulky and wearing a letterman jacket. They had Blaine pinned down on the table, ready to feast.

"Fuck! The Night Watch," the boy with Mohawk cursed.

"Sebastian?" Sebastian was relieved to see Blaine unharmed. "What are you doing here? Run!"

"I'll get this one." The bigger vampire lunged toward Sebastian. Sebastian side stepped the vampire quickly and grabbed a weapon from his backpack" – a gun loaded with silver bullets. The vampire let out a cry of rage as he barreled headfirst into the bleachers.

"Let him go," Sebastian demanded, gun in hand.

"Whatcha gonna do about it? I, the great Puck, don't share." The boy with Mohawk gave Sebastian a cheeky grin, baring his fangs.

"You're operating without a license." Sebastian said through gritted teeth. "This is your last warning. I have the right to end you."

"I'll end you!" Sebastian turned around just in time to see the other vampire crashing into him. The impact knocked the gun out of Sebastian's hand and he hit the ground hard. "Not so cocky now, are we?"

_Oh, shit._

"Hey, Dave. Maybe you can eat that one and I'll eat this one." Puck licked his lips. "Or maybe I'll eat that one and you can have this one. I've always wanted to try the blood of a Night Watcher."

Sebastian tried to reach for his backpack. The gun was too far, but if he could get the backpack, there was something else there that he could use. From afar, he could see the fear in Blaine's eyes. Sebastian knew he had to be quick, or else both of them would be killed. Dave was heavy, it was almost impossible to throw him off. There was really only one thing Sebastian could do, and he was not very good at it.

Sebastian closed his eyes and concentrated. Charms and incantations were not his strong point, and he had just started to learn about magic battles.

"Oh look at that!" Dave's voice was full of ridicule. "Looks like he's given up."

"Well that was a killjoy." Sebastian could hear Puck shifting, most likely readying himself to sink his teeth into Blaine. "Dave, you wanna take this one? I think he's more your type."

"Shut up, Puckerman!" There was fury in Dave's voice. "I'd much rather tear the throat out of this one. I hate these Night Watchers, cocky son-of-a—"

_Now!_

Sebastian opened his eyes as he summoned his energy. A flashlight rolled out of the backpack and slid across the linoleum floor. He grabbed it as soon as it was within range and turned it on, shining it right into Dave's face.

Dave stumbled backward and fell to the ground with a scream, his hands clawing at his face. "My face! It burns! Argh!"

"Fuck!" Puck looked ready to attack, but Sebastian already had his gun in his other hand.

"Let him go, and I won't kill either of you." Sebastian nodded his head at Dave. "Your friend's already hurt."

Puck growled.

"I wager my bullet is faster than your bite." Sebastian pointed the gun at Puck while keeping the flashlight pointed at Dave, ready to turn it on again to burn the vampire if necessary. "Do you really want to risk that? I can kill you both without any consequences, seeing that you have no licenses."

"Shit." Puck looked torn as he looked amongst Dave, Sebastian and Blaine. "Fine."

Puck let Blaine go and shoved him toward Sebastian.

"You're free to go." Sebastian nodded. "Don't ever show your faces here again or I swear I'll kill you both."

He kept his weapons trained on the rogue duo until they disappeared from sight and he could no longer sense them anymore.

"You all right?" Sebastian looked at Blaine.

He had expected Blaine to ask questions, what he did not expect was Blaine to pull him into a tight hug.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Blaine had buried his head in Sebastian's chest. "I didn't even think these things existed!"

"I'm sorry you got caught up in it." It was a bit hard to return the hug when one of Sebastian's hands was still holding onto the weapons.

"I'm glad you got here in time." There was a tremor in Blaine's voice. "I thought I was going to die."

They stayed that way in the dark for a while. Sebastian thought he heard Blaine murmuring something.

"What was that?"

Blaine stepped away a little and looked up.

"I said, I think you can kiss me now."

"I thought you said it was too soon?"

"I think you more than earned it." Blaine closed his eyes and got on his tip toes.

Sebastian leaned down and met Blaine halfway. He put away the flashlight so that he could wrap one arm around Blaine.

Blaine's lips were softer than he'd imagined. They both pulled back after a moment and smiled at each other. Sebastian could tell that Blaine was blushing in the dim light.

As much as Sebastian would like the kiss to be much longer, it was still a kiss nonetheless. It was his first kiss with Blaine and that was what mattered.

"I think we should get out of here." Sebastian put the flashlight away but kept his hand on the gun as he led Blaine out of the gymnasium. "Let's go."

"Wait but—"

"Come on, into the car." Sebastian closed the door behind Blaine and walked around the car to get in from the other side. "We can talk about those creatures when we're back at my house."

Never in his life would he think that Blaine was one of the Others. Perhaps that whole theory about the Others being attracted to their own wasn't a load of nonsense after all.

Yes, Sebastian would have a lot of explaining to do later. But for now, he was happy that it was no longer a problem to date Blaine.

(END)

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><p><em><strong>Addendum:<strong> In the world of "Watches", the Night Watch has a lot of different weapons. Guns with silver bullets can be used against both vampires and werewolves, while flashlight is also effective toward vampires as they can burn the vampire's skin if you switch it on. Not all vampires are Dark Ones, and not all Others with Dark Others as parents will turn out to be Dark Others; the same apply to Light Othes as well. Aside from mages and vampires, when an Other chooses sides, he/she can also decide to be a magician, witch, sorceror, sorceress, incubus, succubus, healer, wiseman, clairvoyants, werewolf, or shape shifters; each will have its own power and limitations. ILast but not least, it should be noted that in some translations, "The Gloom" is translated as "The Twilight". _


End file.
